To Moony From Padfoot with Love
by Dark Nuriko
Summary: A side story for my Magic and Mobile Suits. It can be read on its own, but is more appropriate to read after reading Part 12 and before Part 13. Complete.


_**To Moony; From Padfoot, With Love**_

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and its characters belong to J.K. Rowling. Gundam Wing and its characters belong to their respective creators. I'm writing this solely for fun, so please don't sue.

Author's Note: This is a side story done for _Magic and Mobile Suits_. It contains some spoilers for the up-coming chapters, or rather, it did when I first wrote this. Now that Part Twelve has been written and Part Thirteen in is the works, this is more of a what happened in between those two Parts. It does stand on it's own, seeing as I've kept things well informed in it. This just seemed to come to me while re-reading _Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix_. Enjoy.

Pairings: 2 x Draco pretend, Sirius and Remus

Rating: PG to PG-13 for Duo language.

_**To Moony; From Padfoot, With Love**By: Nuriko_

Duo sat in a corner of Buckbeak's room at number twelve Grimmauld Place, going through old papers that Sirius Black had left there. After his death, no one had been able to bring themselves to handle this task. Sylrina, Sirius's daughter, had almost fell to her knees in thanks when Duo had offered to handle it. It seemed that Sirius wasn't much of an organized person and all his papers were piled up in the corner of the room, almost as if daring someone to tackle them, which Duo had eagerly done. Draco was with him, feeding the hippogriff some dead rats. With Duo's help, Draco had been able to make up with Buckbeak, making the sins of the past forgiven, although both boys doubted it was forgotten. Flipping through the papers, Duo was lost in concentration, leaving Draco to study the boy he had announced to the school he was seeing.

Just after Halloween, right before their first Quiddich match against Gryffindor, Draco had come to the realization that Duo and he had to step up their act in order to get Heero and Harry into action. Before the match, Duo had flirted outrageously with him, much to Heero and Harry's dismay. Heero had missed twice as the quaffle was thrown his way. Trowa, who had also made the Gryffindor team, had narrowly saved both boys from being nailed with bludgers.

Yet it had been Duo, as the newest addition to the Slytherin team, that had even the Gryffindor supporters cheering. Not once had a quaffle gotten though one of his rings. It was the first shut-out game Hogwarts had seen in a long time. Harry had even lost the snitch to Draco because he had been watching Duo make a spectacular save. Only one leg warped around his broom had saved him from falling. Professor McGonagall had nothing but good things to say about Duo's skill and even Snape had a good comment for the formerly braided American, which was undoubtedly rare.

Now, watching Duo these last two days while he went through the tons of paperwork, Draco had come to realize that if he had met Duo before he had come to care of Harry, he would have fallen for him. With Duo's long, chestnut braid hanging over his shoulder and his violet eyes locked on the papers before him, he seemed more likeable than ever before. Brushing back a stray lock of hair that had fallen into his face, he fed the last of the rats to Buckbeak and turned his full attention on Duo.

"Find anything interesting in those smelly old pages of Black's?" Draco finally asked, gaining those violet eyes attention. Duo nodded once, one hand holding up a rather large parchment while the other toyed with the end of his braid. He had missed it during his first months at Hogwarts and as soon as they had left for their vacation, he had pulled it back into the classic braid in record time.

"It's a will, leaving everything he owns to Harry," Duo commented as Draco looked at him oddly.

"Most wizards don't adhere to that muggle item." Duo laughed softly. In his months at Hogwarts he had proven quite adept at anything he set his mind to. He had won the bet they had made so long ago at Diagon Alley. He had even given Draco a chance to forget the bet all together. Malfoy pride forbid him from doing something that made him look like a coward so he had gone through with it. In front of half the school he had pulled Duo toward himself and kissed him. It wasn't a small peck either. It was a full blown, knock your socks off kiss. The minute they were alone, Duo had told him that Harry would be lucky to have someone who could kiss like he could.

"Of course not. Yet this one is signed my Fudge and Dumbledore. It must have been done up just before he was sent to Azkaban. Its legal, even in the wizarding world." Draco raised an eyebrow.

"Extraordinary. I never would have thought they would allow such a thing."

"I'm certain Dumbledore had a hand in it," Duo added, returning to reading the paperwork.

"You're possibly right about that one." Draco sighed and took a seat beside Duo. Duo paused in his work and placed his full attention on the blond beside him. Those pale gray eyes seemed sad.

"If you're having second thoughts about what happened, I'll totally understand. Harry and Heero were supposed to be here with us this break. Yet here we are, just us and Remus Lupin in this house while everyone else is at school. I certainly won't feel hurt. Pulling something like this on someone you love can't be easy. I'm beginning to thin only Harry and you will find each other by the end of this." Draco turned startled eyes on Duo.

"Don't say that, Duo. Yuy's been tossing those death glares at me a lot lately. I think he cares only doesn't know what to do now. You have been acting as most Slytherin's lately, not to mention your need attitude as a Death Eater. I don't think any of your friends expected this change in you."

"I couldn't act normally or your fellow Slytherin's would think I was using that Imperius Curse on you." Draco laughed slightly, knowing how much Duo was risking in order to help them.

"Its depressing that they can't accept change," Draco muttered.

"So I've come to realize. You are really cold to Harry when they're around."

"Old habits, Duo. Just like referring to everyone by their last name in public is second nature to me. When I asked you to be mine, I deliberately called you Duo to make a point." Duo laughed lightly and returned to the papers once again.

"That explains Harry's newly acquired death glare."

"Yuy is teaching him bad habits. I rather love those green eyes spitting fire than glaring," Draco grumbled.

"I'm certain Harry and Heero are possibly even more alike than we believed." Draco nodded his head in agreement.

"I think so as well. Added to their similar stubborn streaks, they have similar looks as well. They could be distantly related in all honesty." Duo grinned at that. Heero would flip if he heard how they talked about him. Going over a few more parchments, an envelope fell out from between them. Placing down the papers, Duo picked up the envelope.

"'To Moony; from Padfoot, with love'," Duo read out loud. Draco raised an eyebrow at that.

"Whatever does that mean?" he asked. Duo thought over the books for a moment before answering.

"Its for Lupin from Black. Something tells me he wanted to give this to him long ago and simply never had the nerve to. Not while he was alive, anyway." One flawless blonde eyebrow raised once more at the comment, catching Duo by surprise.

"What in the world are you talking about, Maxwell? 'Not while he was alive'? How else can he give it to him?" Duo smiled then; a light one that spoke of a knowledge far beyond his years.

"Very easily, Malfoy, my friend. He may not be able to do it himself, but he made certain it would be delivered all the same." One pale gray eye slightly at Duo's words. Standing up swiftly with both letter and will in hand, he smiled at Draco.

"You're going to play messenger? That is way below a Slytherin," Draco said darkly. Duo simply grinned wider.

"Perhaps, but I'm myself first. Besides, I really admire Lupin and I never met Black, but he sounds cool from what Harry's said, as well as what I've read about him. Handing this over is the least I can do." Draco stared at Duo for a long time. This boy was a walking picture of every house in Hogwarts. He had Slytherin's cunning, Ravenclaw's smarts, Hufflepuff's kindness, and Gryffindor's bravery. Why he had finally felt Slytherin was his proper house, Draco didn't know. All he did understand was that Duo had become a great friend and that was more than enough for him.

"Then you'd better take it down to him, shouldn't you," Draco said after a moment. Duo stared at him for a moment.

"You aren't coming down with me?"

"No, I think I'll help out for a bit here and then call it a night." Duo laughed once more.

"I think I'm rubbing off on you. I'll join you as soon as possible." Draco nodded and watched Duo walk out of the room, his braid the last thing of him out the door. He sighed and turned back to the paperwork Duo had left behind, knowing that Duo needed this break, even if it meant having to do some of this work himself.

Duo headed downstairs, stealthily slipping past Mrs. Black's portrait. His first visit to this house had left Duo with tons of questions. Both Kreacher, the Black's house elf, and Mrs. Black had taken to being all kind and helpful to both Draco and himself. When it came to them being nice to Draco Duo could understand, mostly because of who he was, as well as his family history. One could say Draco was a relation of the Black's and therefore as pure blood as they come. As for how they treated him, he wasn't so certain. It could have been his association with Draco, in reference to his last name, or the fact that he carried the Death Eater's mark. He didn't really know which it was. If his last name was the cause, it still didn't make much sense to him, because his actual name was unknown and his current name was made up from both time on the streets and the priest who had been like a father to him.

"Lupin?" Duo called as he entered the kitchen. Lupin sat before the fire, nursing a drink. He was still pale, but luckily the full moon had passed for this month. One thing was certain, he seemed more depressed. Of course, the books told Duo a lot about Lupin, much more than anyone had told him. At his soft call, Lupin looked up, meeting Duo's gaze. His hair was more gray than anything else, even with him being rather young. Years of dealing with lycanthropy had aged him before his time.

"Did you find anything important, Duo?" he asked with a soft smile. Duo smiled back just as lightly before walking fully into the room. He held up the will before taking a seat beside him.

"I found a will that has both Fudge and Dumbledore's signatures as witnesses. This makes certain Harry gets everything he owned, provided Sylrina doesn't want anything."

"Sirius was always saying he'd make certain Harry and Sylrina was taken care of. That will proves it. Yet Sylrina has everything from her mother's family." Duo chuckled.

"You mean from Snape." Lupin laughed lightly as well.

"Of course. I still can't believe Sirius did it with Snape's sister. I mean, Sylvia was beautiful, but even I feared of messing with the Snape household." Duo merely shook his head, knowing full well that it was a one time thing for both Sylvia and Sirius. Duo found a sad smile crossing his lips.

"Sirius did far more for them than that, though. In the will, he says that if he can not take care of Harry, then he'd like you to become his guardian. There was no one else he trusted more than he trusted you." Duo tapped the will. "He even wants you to take over guardianship of Sylrina from Snape. Off to the side, in his writing, is 'I don't trust that greasy man with my precious daughter'." Lupin's eyes widened, surprise evident in their depths.

"He actually wrote that?"

"Yeah. Yet the decision to take care of them is yours. You can either accept or decline." Duo watched emotions race across Lupin's face, the topmost being joy and fear. Finally he set down his drink and placed his head in his hands.

"I can't burden those kids with me. I've got more problems than they do." Duo lost his ever-bright expression, his eyes serious. If any of the former pilots saw him like this, they wouldn't recognize him. Over a month of being a Death Eater had shown Duo a whole new world he'd never really realized was out there.

"Everyone has problems in their lives, Remus. Some larger than others. Yet there is a greater need than worry or doubt in a persons life. There's the need to be loved. To be apart of a grander tapestry; the tapestry of family. For Harry, you're the closest thing he has to an actual parent. You knew Lily, James, and Sirius well enough to be able to keep memories of them. You're the only one who can keep them alive for Harry to remember them." Lupin looked up, surprise and shock covering his eyes once again.

"How does a sixteen year old boy know so much?" Duo shrugged, nonchalantly. Granted, he was actually seventeen, but he still looked young.

"Living past loved ones and then surviving a war will do that to you. You grow up far faster than you'd like and begin to feel older than you are."

"You've lost many loved ones, have you?" Lupin asked, stunned by the young man's knowledge.

"I never knew my real parents; grew up on the streets. I lost my best friend early in life. My next family was the priest and nun who ran the orphanage. I lost them while I was still fairly young. After that I joined up and fought, hoping to keep others from falling into the same rut I did. It's why I struggle to keep the peace now."

"I must look pathetic to you," Lupin muttered, disgusted with himself. Duo shook his head, catching Lupin off guard.

"Not at all. Every person has their own thoughts. No two people have the exact same worries, although causes fit together at times."

"I'll offer Harry and Sylrina a choice. If they'd like me as their guardian, then I'll jump in with both feet and eyes wide open." Duo grinned then, knowing all was moving well.

"That's the spirit," he said brightly. He suddenly remembered something and tossed an amulet at Lupin, a twinkle in his gaze. Lupin caught it, looking at the opal on the front and the star shaped amethyst on the back.

"What's this?"

"A warding amulet. Sylrina and I finished it before Draco and I left for here. She wanted me to give it to you the minute I got here, but the timing was off," Duo told him.

"What's it for?" he asked, studying it some more.

"It'll keep your werewolf side locked inside while you wear it. You can live life as normally as possible now, as long as you wear it."

"She actually found a way?" he whispered, awed. Duo nodded.

"Yeah. Granted, it's not a cure, but it's better than wolfsbane. It was my idea to use moonstone mixed with opal and sunstone mixed with amethyst," Duo told him.

"But none of them are my stone," Lupin commented, aware of the power stones held, especially for those who knew the one that would harmonize with their power.

"That's the point. Your power is too low during the full moon to be of much help, so we used James', Sirius', Sylrina's, and mine. This way you have all of our help. That was the only thing Sylrina was having trouble figuring out, which stones to use." Lupin held it close, feeling a gentle warmth from the stones. He then pulled it on. Duo walked over, wand suddenly in hand. "Impervious," he whispered, insuring the necklace would remain where it was unless Lupin removed it himself.

"Thank-you Duo. This means a lot to me."

"No need for thanks. I'll always help when I can." Lupin smiled then, a genuine one that hadn't been seen in a while. Duo then left the will and letter beside him, moving away and heading for the door.

"Leaving?" Lupin asked.

"I left Draco upstairs doing my job. I'm gonna go relieve him and finish up. Then get some sleep."

"I'll bring you up some butter beer after a while then." Duo smirked.

"That would be very welcome. I'll see you then." Turning he left as silently as he came. Lupin turned to the will and saw the letter. Blinking in surprise, he opened the envelope and unfolded the letter. What he read left him speechless, tears falling silently.

Dear Moony,

If your reading this, it means I'm dead. I hope I went down fighting. I couldn't bear it otherwise. There is a lot I want to tell you and no right way to keep it light. The time we've spent together has meant the world to me. With Sylrina almost a woman, I hope all's gone well for her. Protect her like her mother or I would. . .or her uncle would, despite the fact I can't stand the man. I know you care about her as if she was your own. Continue on where I left off with her.

As for Harry, my will says it all. I hope you will also care for him in my absence. He needs a good man in his life. There isn't one better than you. Remus, you've been my friend, brother, fellow prankster, and mediator. Only recently have you been my lover, my heart, my soul. My one biggest regret is that I leave you alone in a world that I'm certain still despises what you've become.

The only thing I can think to say is that I love you. Past, present, and future had no true meaning until there was you. Keep me close in your heart and know that someday we will find one another again.

With love, always,

Padfoot

Lupin held the letter close, his pain not as deep as it had been previously. Duo had given him more this night than ever before; from anyone. He had given him hope, joy, peace, friendship, family, and most of all, love. For as goofy as he acted toward the world and for as easy going as he was, he was extremely kind hearted. Duo had settled Lupin's mind easily without a second thought for himself. He was honest and straightforward, which Lupin found refreshing. Smiling lightly, he stood, wiping his eyes ad moving to get that drink he had promised Duo.

"Lupin!" a familiar voice called, bringing a brilliant smile to his lips.

"In the kitchen, 'Rina," he called back. Sylrina came in, followed by Harry and Heero. "Did you change your minds about spending your break here?" All three took in his cheerful expression and were surprised by it, although Heero was as surprised as the other two.

"Yeah. We're all family. Sirius would be upset with us if he was here over how we were behaving," Harry said, hugging Lupin. He nodded.

"He would be at that." Lupin then swallowed and jumped foreword. "He left a will Harry, 'Rina. If you two agree, I'd take over as your guardian. You'd still have to stay with the Dursley's for a little while each summer, but then you'll be able to stay with me. Same goes for Sylrina, except she doesn't have to stay with the Dursley's." Harry and Sylrina's eyes widened.

"Of course, we agree. Is this why you're so happy?" Sylrina asked. Lupin shook his head.

"Duo," Heero said softly. Harry seemed confused while Lupin nodded.

"He helped me out a lot tonight. I also got the amulet. Thanks 'Rina."

"Your welcome. Where is Duo?" she asked.

"He's up with Buckbeak finishing up the rest of the paperwork." Harry raised an eyebrow.

"When did he start it?" he questioned.

"If I know Duo, and I do, he only started on it today," Heero remarked.

"Then obviously you don't know him too well. He's been in there since he got here. Neither Draco nor I have been able to get him out of there for too long." Harry and Heero shared a look. "I was just getting ready to take him something to drink when you three arrived."

"I'll take it," Heero said, repentant.

"Thanks." Heero grabbed the drink and left, leaving the three there to talk.

Duo was going through the last bit of paperwork when the door opened. Without looking up, he glanced over the papers, his braid hanging over his shoulder. "Just leave it on the floor and I'll get to it when I finish," Duo muttered, his eyes glued to his work. Heero took this time to study him. For the last few months he'd been the perfect Slytherin. Now, he was more like his old self.

"You haven't been taking care of yourself, Duo," Heero said lightly. Duo looked up quickly, his violet eyes wide.

"Heero, you can after all."

"Hn," he answered. Duo grinned.

"Sorry about how I've been acting. Slytherin's are pretty deadly to anyone who doesn't fit in."

"Quatre mentioned something like that to me once," Heero said.

"I figured he'd figure that much out. Didn't Wuffles or Tro-man say as much after their talks with me?" Heero's Prussian blue eyes widened a moment before narrowing.

"They knew and didn't tell me?" Duo found himself laughing out loud, his head thrown back. Heero stepped near him, his eyes menacing. "This isn't funny, Duo." Duo stopped laughing, finding himself face-to-face with his own lost love.

"I know Heero. I'm sorry about all this." He glared at Duo for a moment longer before his expression became softer.

"Why Malfoy?" Heero asked finally. Duo didn't even pretend not to understand him.

"He understands me. I won't say its love, because I'm still in love with someone else. Yet he helps me forget my pain, even if it is only temporary." Heero stared at him for a long time. After a long, silent moment he placed one hand against Duo's cheek. Duo's eyes widened slightly.

"Don't give up on love, Duo. Don't. . .don't give up on me. I just need time. I don't understand what I'm feeling. Just know I won't deny you your choice. If he hurts you, let me know." Duo smiled softly then.

"I will, promise." That said, Heero left, leaving Duo grinning even more. "I'll be damned, it's working." With a laugh he went back to work, wanting to be done in enough time to spend the holidays with his friends.

Owari (at least for this side trip)


End file.
